News, Views and Analysis

Rights and Democracy: secrecy and big spending

At last week's Board meeting, the long-awaited forensic audit of the organization, expected to be made public last Spring, was unveiled. But not to the public.

Small wonder. As reported, it uncovered nothing fraudulent. All that sound and fury, not to mention money--a quarter of a million dollars of your taxes and mine--was your classic Parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus.

The Clown Car brigade presently running the place has had quite a year, though. Fully one-third of the staff has quit or been fired. Meanwhile, Board of Directors' expenses have almost tripled; ditto the money forked over to outside consultants, nearly a million bucks.

Demonstrating their usual generosity of spirit, the Clowns also slashed a memorial tribute to former president Rémy Beauregard in the R&D Annual Report:

After denying in an interview last week that any changes were made to the tribute to Mr. Beauregard, Mr. Latulippe said Monday through a spokesman that the final version was the result of "a normal editing process." Stéphane Bourgon, senior director of communications for Rights and Democracy, said Mr. Latulippe chose the "neutral" published version. "The president took a decision to get the version that would honour the memory of Mr. Beauregard without creating additional turmoil within the organization," Mr. Bourgon said.

Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs committee, supposedly overseeing the operations of this rogue outfit, has as yet been denied access to the forensic audit report.

"If they’re not accountable to the committee, then who are they accountable to?" asks committee member Paul Dewar. I'd say that's a hell of a good rhetorical question--one that everybody should know the answer to by now.

UPDATE: An insider confirms: "We were told that the report would shed light on wrongdoings at the Centre under Beauregard. Apparently the problems were just governance-related. It's like raiding someone's home to find evidence of murder, but coming out with recommendations on using energy-efficient light bulbs."